Your childcare contract: agreeing hours and costs

Prepare for the contract discussion by listing when you need childcare. Write down your intended drop-off and collection times for each day; this is your own plan, not yet an agreement with the provider. Ask which hours the service offers and how those hours appear in the proposed contract. In its guidance on childcare benefit, the Dutch government says a written agreement must include information such as the hourly price and the number of care hours per year. Ask the provider to point out both figures in the document. If you do not yet understand the hours you are agreeing to, ask how the annual total was calculated before moving on.

Discuss days when the childcare service is closed as a separate question. Ask which closures are planned and how they are reflected in the hours offered and the proposed agreement. This is a practical check; you do not need to infer the answer from general opening times. Dutch government guidance says childcare benefit applies only to hours when the provider actually offers the service, with an exception for public holidays. It also says the hours must be in the contract and paid for. Treat that information as background for the discussion, then ask the provider to explain the arrangements in your own proposal rather than assuming how a closure is handled.

Check that the type of service in the proposal matches the care you are seeking. Dutch government guidance describes daycare as care for children who do not yet attend primary school, and out-of-school care as care for schoolchildren. It also explains that the National Childcare Register can be searched by place and type of provision. As a practical step, note the name and address of the location you are discussing and compare them with the information you find. Ask the provider about any difference in the name, location or service type. This keeps the check focused on the actual proposal instead of assuming arrangements at different sites are identical.

Finish by listing what is clear and what you still need to ask. Open questions could concern the agreed hours, hourly price or explanation of a closure. If you agree different hours or a different rate during the discussion, ask for an updated written proposal. This is a practical way to review the final arrangement before signing. A contract or registration alone does not guarantee childcare benefit; personal eligibility conditions also apply. Check your own circumstances separately with Dienst Toeslagen if relevant. For the contract discussion itself, start with the question you cannot yet answer and ask for a specific explanation of that point.

Sources, accessed on 2026-10-02

• Rijksoverheid
• Rijksoverheid